Poetry Kaleidoscope: Guide to Poetry

Old Norse Poetry

Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in a
number of Nordic languages, embraced by the term
Old
Norse, during the period from the
8th century to as late as the far end of the
13th century. A significant amount of Old Norse literature that
survives was preserved in
Iceland.
Poetry played an important role in the social and religious world of the
Vikings.
In
Norse mythology the story of
Odin
bringing the mead of poetry to
Asgard
is an indicator of the significance of poetry within the contemporary
Nordic cultures.

Old Norse poetry is characterised by
alliteration, a poetic vocabulary expanded by
heiti, and use of
kennings.
An important source of information about poetic forms in Old Norse is the
Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson.

Old Norse poetry is conventionally, and somewhat arbitrarily, split into two
types; Eddaic poetry (also sometimes known as Eddic poetry) and skaldic poetry.
Eddaic poetry includes the poems of the Codex Regius and a few other similar ones. Skaldic poetry is usually defined as
everything else.

Metrical Forms

Old Norse poetry has many metrical forms. They range from the relatively
simple fornyršislag) to the deeply complex dróttkvętt,
the "courtly metre".

In Eddic poetry, the metric structures are generally simple, and are almost
invariably
ljóšahįttr or fornyršislag. Ljóšahįttr, (known also as the "metre of
chants"), because of its structure, which comprises of broken stanzas, lends
itself to dialogue and discourse. Fornyršislag, "the metre of ancient words", is
the more commonly used of the two, and is generally used where the poem is
largely narrative. It is composed with four or more syllables per line. Other
metrical forms include

Mįlahįttr is similar to fornyršislag, but with a fixed metrical length
of five syllables.

Hrynhenda, a variant of dróttkvętt, which uses all the rules of
dróttkvętt, with the exception that the line is comprised of four metrical
feet rather than three.

Kvišuhįttr, another variant of fornyršislag with alternating lines of 3
and 4 syllables

Galdralag, the "magic spell metre", which contains a fourth line which
echoes and varies the third line

Eddaic poetry

The Eddaic poems have the following characteristics.

The author is always anonymous.

The meter is simple, fornyršislag, mįlahįttr or ljóšahįttr.

The word order is usually relatively straightforward.

Kennings are used sparingly and opaque ones are rare.

Skaldic poetry

The Skaldic poems have the following characteristics.

The author is usually known.

The meter is ornate, usually dróttkvętt or a variation thereof.

The syntax is ornate, with sentences commonly interwoven.

Kennings are used frequently.

Skaldic poems

Most of the skaldic poetry we have are poems composed to individual kings by
their court poets. They typically have historical content, relating battles and
other deeds from the king's carrier.

Vellekla - The deeds of Hįkon Hlašajarl.

Bandadrįpa - The deeds of Eirķkr Hlašajarl.

A few surviving skaldic poems have mythological content.

Žórsdrįpa - A drįpa to the god Thor telling
the tale of one of his giant-bashing expeditions.

Haustlöng - Relates two tales from the mythology as painted on a shield
given to the poet.

Ragnarsdrįpa - Relates four tales from the mythology as painted on a
shield given to the poet.

Hśsdrįpa - Describes mythological scenes as carved on kitchen panels.

To this could be added two poems relating the death of a king and his
reception in Valhalla.